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Abstract
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What is The Purpose of This Study/Review?
• Our study describes an academic-community partnership formed to help the leaders of a community-based organization (CBO) identify the critical elements for a leadership training program to address gender-based violence (GBV) in communities with high levels of precarious employment and little access to institutional supports.
• The research partnership consisted of the leaders of the CBO, several academic researchers, and a team of "community animators," or community researcher trained in conducting research activities.
• Concept mapping methods were used to generate and prioritize a list of resources and skills individuals from the targeted communities felt they would need to address GBV that happened at work and home.
• While the findings directly influenced the content of the leadership program, the community partners found the process to be of equal benefit.
What Is the Problem?
• Despite the increased publicity surrounding workplace sexual harassment, women in temporary, low-wage jobs with few or no benefits are particularly vulnerable to experiencing GBV and its ramifications, both at home and at work. While some workplaces have initiated GBV response programs, the nature of precarious employment (e.g., few/no benefits, low wage, dangerous working conditions) and accompanying informal workplaces (e.g., private homes, warehouses, small businesses) preclude workers from having access to these programs, and likely discourage employees from seeing workplaces as a source of support. Thus, community-based and community-driven responses will be needed to provide support for women experiencing GBV in these populations.
What Are the Findings?
• The findings from the concept mapping activities suggested that participants believe that informal leaders from their communities who want to address issues of GBV would benefit from having skills and resources related to addressing workplace violence.
Language: en |